Pennsylvania GOP Senate race, Finland and Sweden bid to join NATO, formula shortage: 5 things to know Wednesday

Editors
·5 min read

Pennsylvania GOP Senate race remains uncalled, could trigger recount

The Pennsylvania GOP Senate race between Dr. Mehmet Oz and businessman David McCormick remained uncalled early Wednesday – and could trigger an automatic recount. "Unfortunately, we're not going to have resolution tonight," McCormick told supporters shorty after 11:35 p.m. on Tuesday. Dr. Oz and McCormick were within 0.5% of each other, the figure that would trigger an automatic recount. Conservative commentator Kathy Barnette was in third. Oz had the Donald Trump endorsement, but some Pennsylvania Republicans questioned the television doctor's commitment to conservatism and went for one of the other candidates. The busiest primary day of the year so far Tuesday featured the apparent defeat of controversial congressman Madison Cawthorn in North Carolina, and also included contests in Kentucky, Idaho and Oregon.

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Finland and Sweden apply to join NATO, Blinken to meet with Turkish counterpart

Finland and Sweden have applied to join NATO, the world’s biggest military alliance, its Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. The move is driven by security concerns over Russia’s war in Ukraine. "I warmly welcome the requests by Finland and Sweden to join NATO. You are our closest partners," Stoltenberg told reporters Wednesday after a receiving their application letters. The application must now be weighed by the 30 member countries. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed reservations about Finland and Sweden joining. Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu Wednesday in response to the issue. President Joe Biden will host leaders of Sweden and Finland at the White House Thursday to discuss their push to join NATO, and European security broadly, the White House said.

House to vote on bill to combat baby formula shortage

The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote Wednesday on the Access to Formula Act, the bill that would give the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children – the federal assistance scheme known as the WIC program – emergency authority to ease non-safety restrictions, the Wall Street Journal reported. The bill would allow WIC participants to use vouchers on any formula brand, rather than be limited to a brand that could be unavailable amid the nationwide formula shortage. House Democrats also unveiled a $28 million spending bill to increase Food and Drug Administration staffing to boost international supplier inspections and gather stronger data on the marketplace. The FDA is looking to increase imports with a more streamlined review process. Swiss conglomerate Nestlé said Tuesday it had already increased production and moved up planned shipments to the U.S. to alleviate the shortages.

Mavericks, Warriors open series for NBA West crown

It's a classic case of old vs. new, seasoned veterans against young up-and-comers, as the Dallas Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors tip off Wednesday in the NBA Western Conference Finals. After a two-year absence, Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson have the Warriors back in the conference finals and are looking to add a fourth championship to their trophy case next to the 2015, 2017 and 2018 titles. To do it, they'll have to go through the Mavs' Luka Dončić, who is second all-time behind Michael Jordan in playoff scoring at 32.7 points per game. The best-of-seven series opens at the Chase Center in San Francisco (9 ET, TNT).

Space Coast preps to launch back-to-back SpaceX and ULA launches

The Space Coast is gearing up to launch a batch of SpaceX internet satellites on Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center. If schedule holds, lift off is set between 6:10 a.m. and 7:10 a.m. ET, and the Space Force on Monday said conditions should be 80% "go" for that liftoff of a Falcon 9 rocket. This will mark the company's 48th launch for the internet constellation and, along a northeast trajectory, include a drone ship landing in the Atlantic Ocean. About 36 hours after SpaceX’s launch, the United Launch Alliance is set to launch the Atlas V rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This will be the company's second attempt at autonomously reaching the International Space Station without a crew aboard after a 2019 version failed and had to return to Earth ahead of schedule. Conditions should be 70% "go" for the 6:54 p.m. ET launch Thursday.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pennsylvania GOP Senate race, NATO bids, formula shortage: 5 things to know Wednesday

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